As the World Burns
by Aki The Crane
Summary: Sequel to "The Sound Barrier" Catherine has been caught, the people of Gotham can rest a little easier now that she's locked away. The inmates of Blackgate aren't sure if she belongs in jail or the Asylum; but someone wants to use her to escape. A massive break occurs and a new Joker arrives in town putting everyone on edge, As the World Burns around them. OC Based / Multi
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / Dark Knight Rises, nor any of the characters in relation too. I own all my own characters and contributed ideas.**

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- As the World Burns -

- Prologue -

A simple jail cell in the woman's ward had become an execution chamber, ruby red blood now covered up the drab-gray colored concrete. Jim Gordon couldn't bring himself to look at the floor where several guards lay; brutally dismembered limbs throw about the place and skulls broken in with gooy red-gray brain matter scatter about. His blue eyes stayed locked onto the slender woman's form, the little _leader_ of this group.

She had long blonde hair that was tussled like she had just awoken from sleep, eyes dark blue as the nights sea, her name - Orpheus Gavril. A foreigner from Russia who'd lived in Gotham for nineteen years. She'd been in deep with the mafia but he never assumed that she would be second in command with one of the Russian gangs. After three years they finally arrested her and she was locked up the woman's ward.

Jim's knees were hurting a little and his neck was starting to feel the same type of ache because of how it was craned to keep watch on the woman; she was pacing back and forth with an annoyed look on her face. However it suddenly turned into a sort of smile, "Kitty-Cat, you done?" Her voice held that foreign note in it as she called out to the bloodied cell.

He had to, Jim couldn't-not look. His blues moved from the blonde pacing Orpheus to the cell; he was thankful it was cast mainly in shadows. He didn't think he'd be able to stomach seeing men from his task force slaughtered. The clink of a metal object on another one sounded off, again the noise sounded, and again. He saw a movement of orange jumpsuit and a heavy blood stained pipe clinking along the cell's metallic bars. A woman stood cast in half shadow; he face covered by it.

"No, I'm not… and don't call me that Orpheus," she took a few steps forward and Jim's eyes widened in horror, "I hate being called Cat…" he knew this girl, with auburn hair and clouded blue eyes. Standing tall and proud looking she lifted the metal pipe so it was resting lazily on her shoulder; there was blood still dripping from it, "my name is Catherine." Bright red droplets spackled her face and clothing, her bare feet and ankles were drenched in the red color of it.

Jim swallowed hard and took his eyes from her, he knew she killed Allison Winterwood back in January of last year in a brutal fashion. He knew she was involved in the murders of James Thomson and Cynthia Laxford, along with being the mind behind the mass murder of six on Fear Night. He'd found the hand written essay that lead to her lifetime sentencing. However; he wouldn't have thought it. It never even crossed his mind that she would be this type of person; to have that look of boredom in her eyes yet at the same time torturing fully grown men only to slaughter them in the end. He was wrong to place her in the woman's ward of Blackgate and not an asylum, "Why?" his voice was just above a whisper, but it caught her attention non-the-less.

"Why? Mr. Gordon… simple. I. Like. Games," he could hear her bare feet moving closer to him, the sound of slick blood and a squishing sort of sound on the concrete, "You!" he looked back up out of sheer shock, she was standing in front of the line of police officers who had come in to negotiate slash storm the place, "What is your name?"

Catherine had moved the lead pipe so that it was pointed at the man closest to Jim, he was an older officer; one that had survived fear night without much trauma. However he worked for the under city - Jim could never prove it however, "Tim."

"Timmy then, how about we play a game?" He watched the man near him gulp.

Gordon barked out actually at this, he wouldn't see another man slaughtered, "No! Catherine don't do it."

Her head turned and she grinned at him, "Oh I see, you want to play then…" she turned a little to him and held out her hand; there were two strips of bed sheets torn up, "Pick one, short one looses."

Jim trembled a little bit, "I won't play your games, let my men go first." he was trying to reason with her to a point at least he could spare the lives of the officers.

Catherine let out a sigh and she took her hand back, she folded up the strips into her hand and balled them up, moving them around with one hand, "Then I'll pick." she sounded annoyed, then dropped a strip to the floor, "That one's yours… lets see. Oh look, mines longer," she was no longer paying attention to him and he heard the room grow even more silent, "Goodbye Tim,"

The blood stain metallic pipe swung with a swoosh of force like a baseball bat in her hands, the sound of Tim's skull caving under the force first. The crack of it echoing in the room and finally Jim; and several other men, threw up as Tim's brains splattered all over the floor. His body slumped over onto the cold drab-gray concrete floor.

"Such a disappointment."

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**Welcome to the next installment to The Sound Barrier, As the World Burns. If you haven't read the first fan fiction in this series then it is highly recommended that you do; you can find it on my profile page under stories. - Aki**


	2. Chapter One: The Days that Follow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / The Dark Knight Rises, nor any of the characters in relation too. I own all my own characters and contributed ideas.**

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- As the World Burns -  
- Chapter One: The Days that Follow -

**- Catherine Noir -**

Alarms were going off all around her like the buzzing of fly's around a garbage can, she hadn't had this kind of adrenaline rush since her swim in Gotham's ice cold bay. Her feet pounded along the concrete and somewhere along the way she'd lost her shoes. Orpheus was in front of her leading her along to the cells a gun in her hand. All the cells had been unlocked on the woman's side of Blackgate. Mass chaos was keeping most of the guards busy.

When they got to the right holding area with a securable area they set the trap for the police. A swat team had showed up with Jim Gordon leading them; it was even better than she thought.

_Come little children, I'll take thee away.  
__Into a land of enchantment.__  
_

Red, oh so crimson red blood spilled from a swat member's mouth and gut. His internal organs were showing from his gut area and perhaps Catherine had been a little too rough for her first game.

_Come little children, the times come to play.  
__Here in my Garden of Shadows._

The queen of hearts could eat her own heart out with all the red Catherine was painting the walls of the cell with. Three men lost their lives in the bet, truly luck favored her. That or she wasn't going to let them win in the first place.

_Follow sweet children, I'll show thee the way.  
__Through all the pain and the Sorrows.  
__Weep not poor children for Life is this way.  
__Murdering Beauty and Passion._

Orpheus kept bring her men into the cell to kill in her own delightfully sick way. Be it guard, swat, male prisoner, or of blue blood cop. Speaking of which - Catherine pondered for a moment if his blood was blue when he bled too?

_Hush now dear children.  
__It must be this way, to weary of Life and Deceptions._

One after the other her games were more and more vicious. No one could win - even when they did the prize was to be given the choice of die now or in ten minutes.

_Rest now my children for soon well away.  
__Into the Calm and the Quiet.  
__Come little children, I'll take thee away.  
__Into a land of enchantment._

Catherine's clouded blues looked around the cell room, either all the enforcers had died or most of them were dead and a few passed out. She'd lost count and since no one was making anymore noise she assumed her work was done. However…

_Come little children, the times come to play.  
__Here in my Garden of Shadows._

Orpheus had been playing that recording of the soft melodious song for an hour on repeat before someone cried out, "No More!" Whatever she had been doing out there with that song really got to the man. Another hour went by and Catherine had been elbow deep in blood catching up on her medical practice; using a jerry-rigged scalpel blade really caused a mess. Then she heard that awful nick name of her's being called out by Orpheus to come out of the cell, it was time for them to leave.

**A Few Days Later**

**- Jason Smith -**

This whole job was crazy, he knew it was a mob bank; not like they hid it all that well. However that's what made him go, the thrill, excitement, adrenaline. No more working for iTech as soon as he got that share of cash. Zip lining from one building in Gotham across the street to the bank would only be the start.

His heart was racing by the time they touched down on the lightly graveled roof top. Quickly fumbling through a mass of wires and hardware to shut down the silent alarm he asked, "So why do they call him the Joker?"

**- Jacob Valentine -**

"Three of a kind, let's do this." He was stating a poker reference, which the other two didn't seem to get.

"That's it three guys?" The first man he'd picked up for the heist asked him.

Jacob wanted to punch him in the jaw, but instead he held up two fingers, "Two guys on the roof. Every guy gets a share. Five shares is plenty." He turned the wheel ever so slightly to make the corner; obeying the traffic signals as the last - and rather silent man he'd picked up readied his gun. The clicking of it reminding him of his older brother when they used to do jobs like this together. Only Jackson Valentine thought this one was too crazy and he decided to not get involved. Time to show big brother that he was fine on his own.

"Six shares, don't forget the guy who planned the job." The passenger began to ready his gun on que as the back seater finished his.

"Thinks he can sit around and still take a slice. I know why they call him the Joker." And parking illegally.

**- James Peterson -**

It was too bad he was going to kill an old-man , "So why do they call him the Joker?" that voice was just too old for this kind of work - probably better he got out of it. A small grin came to the man's face as he watched this talented elder man work on the alarm box; poor guy couldn't even break it open as he had to do it himself with a hammer.

"I heard he wears make-up." That was his first thought, and it was probably why they were wearing these types of masks too. So many crazies had been showing up in Gotham as of late; he even ended up sending his own sister to Arkham after that thing in the narrows a while back.

"Make-up?" He asked.

"Yeah, make-up," he was glad he was going to shoot this guy; for some reason that voice annoyed him, "To scare them, Ya know, like War Paint."

The electronics the man was holding beeped like an alarm clock would in the morning, "Here comes the silent alarm," he knew that, "and there it goes," Quick and simple. James pulled the silenced gun from the green duffle bag and held it out just a few inches away from the man's spine between the shoulder blades, "that's funny it didn't dial out to nine one one, it was trying to reach a private number."

Well; that could be an issue, "Is it a problem?"

"No. I'm done here." Indeed he was.

**- Justin Thomson -**

He used to be a bank accountant himself, and his bank had been robbed more than once in his time in Gotham. Now it was his turn and man he was not going to miss being on the other side. First thing, the guard. Quickly he subdued the slightly pudgy man, "Those gym classes really helped…" he'd muttered to himself and the guard looked confused, "just stay quite and don't move."

Justin listened to the driver yell out, he was probably younger than himself with that loudness of his, "Hands up heads down!"

He quickly hit the guard on the neck like one would in a kung-fu movie just to see if it would work. Although he was pretty sure the man dropped out of fear and pain more than passing out. His own hand would hurt after a while too, he was sure of that, "On the ground, stay on the ground. Nobody make a move! Nobody. Stay down- ugh."

Was that glass breaking… that was right, this was a mafia bank. He got his five minutes of being a badass but breathing was suddenly very hard to do now.

**- John Aaron -**

Why would a high school be so close to a bank? The man's leather gloved fingers drummed on the large steering wheel of the yellow school bus as he kept an eye on the time. Two ten. The man gave a sigh and turned his head to look at the school. He used to have a kid like the ones just starting to leave, the boy got up and left Gotham with his mother however after the divorce. John took it alright; it was better for the kid not to grow up here anyways - he would have probably been following in his fathers foot steps and bad habits.

Two fifteen. Time to go.

It was somewhat of a boring ride through the streets of Gotham - in a big yellow school bus. Perhaps he could give up the life of crime and become a bus driver… yeah right. Slipping the clown mask over his already nylon socked face he made an illegal turn and crashed the back of the bus through the currently being robbed bank. _It really was crazy to rob a mob bank. _

Swiftly he opened the back of the bus and hopped out, "School's out time to go. That cat's not getten up, is he?" The other man in the clown mask started tossing him dark blue duffle bags - hopefully full of cash and not keep sakes like the last place he robbed, "That's a lot of money," he tossed the last one in and turned around, "what happened to the rest of the guys?"

The feeling of something pricking his chest in such a serve painful way caused him to drop on the ground; an image of his could-be life as a bus driver and a happy home flashed and then along with the pain faded into nothing but empty blackness.

**The Next Night**

**- Jim Gordon -**

Jim wasn't sure how he'd managed this, how he'd gotten out; how he'd gotten most of the task force out as well. However he might have saved the lives of his men, but Orpheus and Catherine got away. Jim slammed his fists down on the office desk. That Russian woman could have escaped the prison at anytime she wanted - she didn't need to make such a show of it!

_It's not about being free Gordon, no one's really free anyways - this was about sending the police force a message. Remember that we do not play games._

Gordon had placed a unit to start the search for the two woman but right now on top of it all he had to worry about another psycho robbing a bank, this was turning into another Fear Night. He could feel it. Jim shook his head and sucked up the gut sickening feeling; then left his office to meet up with Ramirez. He'd had a cup of coffee with her the night before while staying on the roof with the bat-signal, and not more than a few days later in the early morning hours he was at the scene of a bank robbery.

The Joker.

Hopefully he didn't turn out to be like Scarecrow - Jonathan Crane.

**- Bruce Wayne -**

"… _police have not commented on the recent massive breakout at black gate where several dangerous women along with two known male serial killers made their escape…" _The crackling of the fireplace was being drowned out by the sound of the reporters feminine voice coming from the television set. Mr. Wayne had his legs crossed one of the other and his hands folded with fingers laced, a sort of tension to his hands showed that he was far interested in the report, _"… however sources and eye witness accounts have confirmed that the recent bank robbery was a dispute between the poor of Gotham and an easy target." _It was quite often to hear the lies feed to the reporters by the cities police; but he knew better - this Joker would have to wait however. The sake of Gotham was at hand and he was dangled in the balance of lawful justice or a mob society.

The billionaire playboy of Gotham stood just as his faithful butler Alfred opened the door to the suites bed room, "That time again Mr. Wayne?" The elderly man set down a tray of steak dinner and only shook his head. They both knew it was time to dawn the persona of the bat once again.

**- Sire Joker -**

The several very loud explosions across the street had caught his attention and he looked over the shoulder of the very attentive tailor. Of course if he wasn't holding a tiny gray cube in his hand with a black pressure handle he was sure that the man would have called the police or ran for his life or something very silly.

It was all about how you presented yourself.

And he did this very well.

You see he had heard about this grand place where men dressed up as bat's and scarecrows; where the _sane _thought they had such control over the concrete play land they inhabited. He giggled which caused his faithful tailor to stop working.

"Hehe, don't worry about it - it's not you, you're fine." Suddenly a very large black vehicle - well he wasn't sure but it looked like fun; this thing jumped from the roof to the next roof speeding away from the coppers, "For now," this place really was full of exciting surprises! Giddy he clapped his hands together just as the tailor finished with the customizations; extra pockets and a place to hold grenades. All was left was the shoot him before he got the idea to pull anything funny… that was his business. _Ah-ha-ha._

**- Orpheus -**

Sitting in the back of a van was far better than being in a jail cell, never did she want to do that again. The vodka blonde crossed one leg over the other and smoothed out her new maroon suit, the pants still had the freshly pressed creases. Her hair no longer looked like a rat's nest and was straightened too a point as the natural wave and curl kept it from ever being fully smoothed down. Between her red painted finger nails was a cigarette which she raised to her lips and in-hailed. The smoldering red end flared to life just before she took her lips from the yellow butt end and exhaled, then it went back to just a barely noticeable wave of smoke.

"Where are we going?" That younger girl across from her was a strange one. Orpheus's eyes lingered over her small frame and fidgeting habit with her feet; like she was tapping to some unheard tune.

This was the first time Orpheus had spoken after they made their escape to the younger woman, "My step brother called, he needs ride before cops get to him." True enough Catherine and Orpheus had been stuck in the back of that van for hours, only stopping twice. Once for new cloths, food, pain pills and a new van, the other for a piss break; all while in Gotham still. It was something she was quite used to doing but the blonde Russian wasn't sure about how the other girl was holding up. She didn't need one of her own men dead, "It will be quick and you can leave into the night."

The kitty-cat nodded her head whilst tapping her feet in a continuous beat, the blue eyes were fixed on the floor of the van and only looking around every so often or when they made a turn. Twenty three hundred south and Edison Street couldn't have come sooner.

"Found them." Dominique, the man driving, turned his head as he pulled to a stop on the fifth level of the parking garage.

Five men and the two women piled out of the van on the concrete parking lot; Orpheus's black heels clicked on the ground with each step she took. Brent. The poor man was tied up and looked like he'd been man handled. She pressed the cigarette to her lips taking another drag from the cancer stick full of nicotine, "You look like shit." She half-heartedly joked to him. She gave a slight jerk of her head to have her men untie him then looked around to introduce her new friend. However Catherine seemed very much interested in the man tied up between two batman copy-cats. The rest of the garage looked like hell, explosives had to have gone off; and gun fire more than definably. Tire tracks of a heavy vehicle had screeched through pretty recently too.

"So what happened?" Orpheus left Catherine to her own as the man was talking back to her with the same look of interest - a little bit of venom too, "Is problem fixed?" She watched as her adopted brother stood up and rubbed his abused wrists.

"No," he glanced at the man that currently held Catherine's interest; that's when Orpheus understood this was the man they'd bought the drugs off of, "Batman showed up. Who is that?" He spoke softly when he asked who the younger girl was.

Orpheus just smiled, "A new comrade."

**- Jonathan Crane -**

The thought of how long it would take until the police showed up crossed his - their minds, more than once. Crane had really lost it, the being called Scarecrow had taken quite a forefront in his life and there was nothing he could do about it now. Jonathan went along with it all however, he didn't care just as long as he could continue working on his research. To continue spreading fear… for his research to cure it.

A sudden sound of tires rolling up to where he, several thugs, and a few batman fan club copies sat took his attention away from the thoughts of his research. Looked like it was time to go back to Arkham. His unmasked head slowly lifted, the mops of hair he now sported got in the way of his ice blue eyes. It was hard to make out what kind of vehicle exactly was pulling up in front of them; however he knew it was not a police car.

Heels clicked on the cement floor of the parking garage along with several pairs of feet. He flicked his head to the side so the mops of brown hair would move itself from his vision. Without his glasses it was actually hard to see even the short distance from where he sat to the black van that had pulled in. He eyed it with suspicion as a few of the members started what looked like untying a man from one of the thugs group. However the view changed rapidly as a person stood in front of him, then squatted down to his eye level, "Ah. Miss Catherine." Somehow this amused him, he'd almost rather be picked up by the police and sent back to Arkham than be in the company of this mad woman. Yet Gotham was a cruel mistress.

Jonathan had expected her to say something in that awkward silence that happened but she did not. It was like she was pondering what to do with a lost puppy. Kick it - or keep it. He hopped for a third option of setting it free. Finally however she broke the silence, "Well… I don't come bearing a cast iron skillet but how about a knife?" The woman quirked a brow and clicked open a small pocket knife which she held in sight between their faces. Her fingers kept twirling it between themselves like she couldn't make up her mind.

Again the two minds of his wandered thinking of every possible situation this could lead to; to how he could perhaps manipulate her into getting his way. Instead of speaking he plastered on a face of helplessness; if it did not work he would try reason or even a bargain. She turned the blade and reached slowly around him; finding one of the batman copies in the way Catherine shoved him out of the way… prison really did have an affect of strength on ones body. However she was just a small girl compared to himself. Not that he'd lower himself to - well there was Rachel he gassed; that was quite like hitting a woman.

Whilst he was lost in his own mind Jonathan had not noticed that he had been cut lose and the blade was placed on the ground in front of him.

"We're even now, Mr. Two Zero Two…" His attention had been grabbed and he saw her stand then look down at him - indeed she had the same eyes as what he saw in Scarecrow; a twisted sense of right and wrong, "… next time we met I'll pay you back for ruining my experiment."

Jonathan usually had a very know-it-all arrogance about him but truly he had no idea what experiment she was talking about.

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"_We live in a cold dark world with venom in its fangs,  
__You can spit it in my face but I know I'll be okay,  
It's on the attack, It's a war, it's a game,  
A ball and chain chew my arm off to get away,  
Don't fight, or deny it, invite it, cause when it…  
Feels like a kick in the Teeth I can take it,  
Throw yours stones __and you won't see me break it,  
__Say what you want, take your shots,  
__You're setting me free with one more kick in the teeth"_

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**Well to all my lovely reviewers this is hopefully what you've been waiting for; chapter one for As the World Burns and let me say this is just the gasoline for the flames to come. Be sure to check back every so often as my updates will be slow - and I really can't give up on something this beautiful.**

**Reviews are very inspirational and help writers with their blocks; so if you want more story then support your writers and give them some creative criticism. Good or bad. Till next time Aki.**

_Lyrics Provided By Papa Roach's Kick In The Teeth: watch?v=L5gZe4oTsJY_


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